Grow Your Own Green Office

There are multifarious ways in which companies can make their offices more environmentally palatable. Here are 10

By

Javier Espinoza

Updated May 16, 2011 12:01 a.m. ET

Creating environmentally friendly surroundings in the workplace can help companies produce less waste, nurture a healthy environment and reduce the amount of energy being consumed. Financially it makes sense too, as energy prices soar and tough new regulations restricting C02 emissions take effect. "There has been a real upward trend in the last five years in companies wanting to go green," says Trewin Restorick, chief executive of the Global Action Plan, a U.K.-based environmental behavior change organization. "This trend has been speeded up by a number of things: A rise in the price of energy and new legislation which pushes firms to adopt a carbon reduction commitment in the U.K. Separately, The European Commission is also proposing a European carbon tax."

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Going green can also be a good way for companies to retain talent, according to Clive Davis of London-based recruitment service company OfficeTeam. "A lot of companies are now marketing their green credentials more to attract talent as potential employees now aspire to work for businesses that also promote their values."

Here is a list of 10 easy ways to make the work environment, work for the environment:

1. Make your own compost: Some employees are considering turning their office's waste, like fruit peelings, into rich compost. "The compost produced can be used for pot plants or growing herbs, improving both your office environment and your lunch," says Fiona Smith of real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle. "If you are not sure about having this on your desk, see if there is a balcony in your building. At least one London office does this on a large scale by composting all food waste and growing tomatoes, salad and herbs for use in the on-site catering facilities."

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2. Set the example: Companies are starting to get their employees engaged in so-called green days, or weeks, in an effort to get the workforce to adopt more sustainable practices. Switzerland-based publishing and conference company, Informa, organizes its own green week, which involves 8000 employees based in 140 offices in 40 countries. In Germany, 99 employees took part in a green travel day and stopped elevator use for a day, saving 660 elevator trips. In India, employees got rid of paper cups, reduced paper printing by 70%, encouraged 47% of staff to climb nine flights of stairs everyday and reduced air conditioning usage by 20%. In South Africa, workers created celebrity-themed posters to drive home energy efficient messages.

3. Buy green: Small changes in the way firms approach office purchasing decisions can make a big difference. "Do you purchase recycled paper? Is your coffee fair trade? When you need new desks do you check that the wood is all FSC (Forest Steward Council) certified?" asks Jones Lang LaSalle's Ms. Smith. She points out that unwanted furniture can be given to several organizations and charities, including recycling charity Greenworks, which can take it off your hands. "One office also found that a local university was extremely grateful for its excess desks, cupboards and old computer," she says. Ms. Smith adds that companies must make sure their contractors are engaged too. "A recycling scheme will never work properly if your cleaners do not know why it is important to segregate the waste," she says.

4. Reduce, reuse and recycle: Many businesses now encourage employees to use both sides of paper whenever possible and only print documents when necessary, says OfficeTeam's Mr. Davis. But beyond consuming paper, businesses are increasingly adopting a "reduce, reuse and recycle" philosophy, he says. Employees are being encouraged to think hard about other office items that can be reused, such as ink cartridges, boxes, electronic devices and food containers. "In the kitchen, for example, employers are replacing paper cups with glass," explains Mr. Davis. "This is a good example of how going green can be an inexpensive thing to do."

5. Banish plastic bottles: Offices may also consider the use of more eco-friendly alternatives to reduce the amount of water bottles that end up in landfills each year. The 'Eco-Can' is one of many products on the market. It looks like a normal can but it is made out of a biodegradable material. Although it is considerably more expensive than a normal cup, it has already sold 15,000 units since being launched in March. The developers hope to sell 200,000 by the end of the year. "Eco-friendly products are on trend at the moment," says Wojtek Kolan, co-founder of Thumbs Up, the Eco-Can's manufacturer.

6. Make gardens in the sky: Canary Wharf, one of London's major financial centers, has the biggest concentration of green roofs across an area that supplies offices to around 100,000 employees. "First the green roofs were installed because they looked good," says Hamish McDougall, communications officer for Canary Wharf. "But there are other benefits: They provide an extra layer of insulation so they help regulate the temperature of a building against drastic changes in temperature." A study on the environmental benefits of green roofs found that an 850 meter square retrofitted green roof on one building reduced CO2 emissions by about 11.5 tonnes a year.

7. Cycle to work: Many European cities have bike-sharing programs, which compliment various cycle-to-work schemes. Social enterprise group BTCV promotes a scheme whereby a tax incentive is given to employees who buy a bike and use it to commute to work. "This is through a salary sacrifice scheme and aims to improve air pollution and health," a BTCV spokesman says. Separately, some Canary Wharf offices in London have bike spaces for as many as 10% of the workforce and 400 new bike racks are planned for for 2012 .

8. Monitor emissions: There are innovative products on the market that help you reduce your carbon footprint. CarbonTrack, a free iPhone app, allows users to have a rough estimate of their CO2 emissions as a result of their daily business activities, including travel, electricity usage and waste. Apart from apps, working remotely and using video conference services may also help companies reduce their carbon footprint.

9. Think outside the pot: This might not be cheap to achieve, but large corporations are increasingly looking at ways to produce their own energy. In London, accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers spent about £500,000 (€570,000) on generators powered by cooking oil as part of a plan to generate 25% of the office's electricity on site. "We installed [the generators] to reduce our carbon emissions and be more efficient in consuming our energy," says Jon Barnes, head of building and facility services at PwC.

The building's recycled chip fat electricity generator also produces 20% of its heating and cooling energy. The two 6,000-liter tankers of recycled cooking oil are collected weekly from offices, bars and restaurants across London.

10. Engage the staff: Global Action Plan in the U.K. has devised a racing game called the eco- driving simulator that prompts people to drive in an environmentally-friendly way. "This is part of our employee engagement campaign," explains Mr. Restorick.

Employees then compete on who is the more fuel-efficient driver by anticipating hurdles ahead and making changes to the car on the racing game. It may sound like a gimmick to some, but Mr. Restorick takes it seriously. His firm, which has advised companies like Merrill Lynch and EDF Energy on how to make their offices greener, says a lot of companies are under pressure from employees to care more about the environment in the office.

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